Shanghai's best Yunnan cuisine

Recommended: Lotus Eatery

At Lotus Eatery, the cold noodles are fresh and just about anything with mushroom is delicious.

Several of our experts admit to a mild addiction to Lotus Eatery's cold noodle salad, as well as about a dozen other dishes on the menu.

One of the city's newest Yunnan stops, Lotus Eatery is a tiny restaurant run by a Yunnanese family.

The menu features authentic dishes made with wild mushrooms, spices and liquors flown in weekly from Yunnan as well as produce grown in the family's Pudong farm.

For an authentic spread that includes Miao minority barbecued fish, minced beef with water chestnuts, salt and pepper goat cheese and beef liver mushroom, the price is modest. It's possible to eat here for RMB 50-100.

The cold rice noodles are served with slivered vegetables and chicken in a light sauce, a refreshing start to dinner.

Recommended: Yunnan Gourmet

"Crossing the Bridge Noodles" are a Yunnan Gourmet specialty. Atmosphere is not.

“There is this restaurant on the basement floor of Raffles where basically everything is mediocre, except for these Crossing the Bridge Noodles. They are the best thing to eat in a mall in Shanghai, by far,” says food editor Rica Lou.

That says something considering how many malls Shanghai has.

Lou's tip is to go for late lunch or early, early dinner.

“Unless you go at an odd time, like 3 or 4 p.m., this place is always packed,” Lou explains. “The chicken broth for the noodles is very rich and umami, but afterwards your mouth isn't dry because the flavor is from stewing, not MSG.”

If you work near People's Square, jot this down as your next late lunch place.

“It’s not greasy here like at most places," she says. "They taste like the noodles you'd have at a Yunnanese friend’s home. I just wish Southern Barbarian served bigger portions."

Another route to deliciousness is the signature fried goat cheese. The restaurant goes through an average of 180 kilograms of goat cheese a year. Order a plate and you’ll see why.

Between bites of goat cheese, slip in a bit of Southern Barbarian's mint salad and cold eggplant. Both are simple dishes that complement each other -- the mint heating up your mouth while the eggplant cools things off.

Winner: Legend Taste

When Chef Tang Dechao left the Lost Heaven group, he opened Legend Taste to bring authentic Yunnan food to the masses.

Two years later, Legend Taste's line-up of Dai minority and Northern Yunnan dishes is consistently delicious, and in high demand.

Due to its history, Legend Taste has been called a cheaper version of Lost Heaven.

We disagree. On any given week night this place is packed and not because Legend Taste emulates the food at Lost Heaven, but because the dishes offered are simply great.

For our critics, an awed silence descends when the Legend Taste chicken arrives with a topping of crown daisies. It's a dish of finely diced chicken stir-fried with herb-like leaves and stems of crown daisies.

Add a squirt of lemon and this will become your favorite dish to eat over a big scoop of rice. The texture of the meat makes this a mellow cousin to Thai larb, but without the acidity.

The Xishuangbanna-style stewed shrimp is another good order for those who like a sour tang to their seafood. The garlicky shrimp come with sweet cherry tomatoes and bamboo shoots covered in a tasty sauce.